Firmware Engineer – AirPods and Accessories

Apple; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 143,000 - 265,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Firmware Engineer to enhance the audio platform for consumer products. In this role, you'll architect and develop the AirPods audio and connectivity platform, collaborating with cross-functional teams to innovate and improve user experience. Your expertise in embedded software and C/C++ coding will be crucial in delivering high-performance designs while optimizing power and memory usage. Join a dynamic team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of technology, where your contributions will directly influence the next generation of audio products. This is a fantastic opportunity for those passionate about technology and product development.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical and dental coverage

Retirement benefits

Discounted products and free services

Educational reimbursement

Employee stock purchase plan

Discretionary bonuses

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in firmware and embedded product development.
• Solid C/C++ coding abilities and strong debugging skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with teams to define product features and requirements.
• Design and test embedded C/C++ code for audio products.

Skills

C/C++ coding

Embedded software fundamentals

Debugging skills

Real-time systems knowledge

Product ownership

Communication skills

Education

BS in Science or Engineering

MS in Science or Engineering

Tools

RTOS environments

Git

Job description

Senior Firmware Engineer - AirPods

Cupertino, California, United States Hardware

Summary

Posted: Apr 01, 2025

Role Number: 200597897

The AirPods Firmware team is looking for an enthusiastic engineer to join our team. This is an individual contributor role to develop the technical development of the audio platform for our products. You will have the opportunity to drive the technology and product development for Apple's consumer audio products. In this role, you will work with a wide cross-functional team to continually innovate technology implemented in Apple products.

Description

This is a high visibility role that involves architecting and developing AirPods audio and connectivity platform. This platform is a key technology that integrates and manages the data and system states for our products. We are seeking someone who is passionate about the products, eager to improve quality and user experience, and driven to innovate down to the details. Excellent communication and collaboration is a must, as you will be asked to partner with team members and other engineering teams.

1. Collaborate with cross-functional engineering and design teams to define product features and requirements.
2. Design, implement, debug, and test embedded C/C++ code running on 32-bit MCU's for Apple-branded audio products.
3. Develop highly efficient designs delivering outstanding performance, optimizing power and memory footprints while meeting latency requirements.
4. Enable expansion of our product ecosystem features through creation of performance and test tools.
5. Debug real-time systems with limited visibility, working hands-on with development hardware and lab equipment.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5+ years of proven excellence in firmware, embedded software, embedded product development, or equivalent experience.
• Solid C/C++ coding abilities.
• Strong embedded software fundamentals, including knowledge of design and development-flows, real-time constraints, concurrency, multi-threaded environments.
• Strong software and hardware debugging skills, familiarity with low-level hardware interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, etc).
• Experience with small microcontrollers & embedded systems.
• Passion for product ownership and track record of product development.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• BS or M.S. in Science or Engineering.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing firmware in RTOS environments.
• Knowledge of audio, DSP or Bluetooth technologies.
• Experience with configuration and release management (git), continuous integration, unit and regression testing.
• Strong understanding of design strategies for maintainability, scalability, and code reuse.

Pay & Benefits

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $143,100 and $264,200, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation.

Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.